Friday, June 28, 2024

National Native News

After delays, Montana’s Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force has been re-created with more members and new staff.

Montana Public Radio’s Ellis Juhlin has more.

The new task force members met for the first time last week.

The group has existed in Montana since 2019, but it hasn’t met since lawmakers funded an expansion of their work within the Montana Department of Justice (MTDOJ) last year.

The bill was carried by State Rep. Tyson Running Wolf (Blackfeet Nation/D-MT) from Browning.

“We’re still in the dark about, you know, how it’s going to function, but at least we got the task force in place and we got that position filled. It’s better late than never.”

Lawmakers last year also allocated $60,000 to train Missing Person Response Teams, but as of last week, the MTDOJ said that money hasn’t been spent.

Montana has one of the highest rates of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) in the nation.

Indigenous people make up around 7% of Montana’s population, but 26% of the state’s missing persons cases, according to MTDOJ.

This new task force is made up of representatives from tribal, state, and federal offices, and the Montana Highway Patrol.

Haley Omeasoo (citizen of the Hopi Tribe and a Blackfeet descendant) is one of the new members.

She’s a University of Montana PhD student studying forensics and the founder of a company that investigates missing person cases.

“I’ll basically just kind of be the person that brings the forensic science aspect to the task force. I’m kind of hoping that I can be that person that will start to do, like, the actual case work. For some of these missing and murdered indigenous persons cases.”

The newly expanded task force plans to meet quarterly going forward.

Organizers gather at the federal courthouse building in downtown Rapid City, S.D. calling for the release of Leonard Peltier. (Photo: Lee
Strubinger / SDPB)

A caravan full of activists and organizers worked its way through downtown Rapid City on Thursday calling for Leonard Peltier’s release from federal prison.

Peltier has spent nearly five decades behind bars.

As South Dakota Public Broadcasting’s Lee Strubinger reports, a US Parole board is set to decide on Peltier’s release in the coming days.

The Iron Bull drum group plays as over two dozen vehicles roll up to the Federal Courthouse in downtown Rapid City on a hot summer day.

The caravan’s message is simple: Release Leonard Peltier.

Peltier is serving two life sentences for an incident that turned into a shootout between American Indian Movement members and FBI agents near the Pine Ridge Reservation town of Oglala.

The incident resulted in the death of the two FBI agents.

Peltier supporters call him America’s preeminent political prisoner.

Jean Roach was there that day in 1975.

She says Peltier’s case is emblematic of more than the incident.

“The whole story doesn’t start with Leonard Peltier. It starts with first contact. Leonard Peltier is an example—they’re making him an example of what can happen or what is happening. Until they let Leonard Peltier free there’s not going to be no good faith effort between us and the United State’s government.”

Peltier had a hearing before the US Pardons and Parole board earlier this month.

The board is expected to decide on Peltier’s release starting in early July.

In his letter to the pardon’s commission, FBI Director Christopher Wray called Peltier a “ruthless murderer”.

Supporters say Peltier’s health is failing. He has type-2 diabetes and is losing his eyesight.

Nick Tilsen (Oglala Lakota Nation) is the President and CEO of NDN Collective. He says Peltier is not receiving proper medical care.

“He gets really disoriented because part of what connected him to the outside world was writing letters. This is a message, too. If anyone wants to send him letters, it’s got to come in about 22-point font for him to be able to read it. He’s strong in the sense that he’s still has that fight in him to fight for his freedom and fight for the people. But his health is deteriorating.”

Tilsen was one of two individuals allowed to testify in favor of Peltier’s release earlier this month.

If Peltier is not granted parole, Tilsen says they’ll start a clemency push from President Joe Biden.

Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.